The purpose of this report is to present the 2020 Director of Public Health (DPH) annual report and to seek the support of the Health and Wellbeing Board in implementing the recommendations.

Directors of Public Health have a statutory requirement to write an independent annual report on the health of their population. The Director of Public Health Annual Report is a vehicle for informing local people about the health of their community, as well as providing necessary information for decision makers in local health services and authorities on health gaps and priorities that need to be addressed. The report is informed by and sits alongside the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (Understanding Herefordshire).

The focus of the 2020 report is the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has affected every member of our society, either through direct effects on our health, or indirectly through the impact of lockdowns, social isolation and wider economic disruptions. It is clear that COVID-19 has disproportionately affected certain members of our society, such as the elderly, the vulnerable and those of minority ethnic backgrounds. The report looks at the impact of COVID-19 on the Herefordshire population and identifies challenges that will need to be met in order to support Herefordshire’s recovery from the pandemic.

The recommendations set out in the report identify key areas for action to tackle local impacts of COVID-19.